A Change in the Dynamic
by Temporal Austenite
Summary: Once you found out that you were kissing your best friend's daughter, it seems a bit inappropriate to do it again...even if she has other plans. Doctor/River shipping! Please read and review!


_Spoilers for A Good Man Goes To War. Which was Awesome. Doctor/River shipping._

_ AN: Being but a poor fan fiction writer, I own nothing. Well, by nothing I mean…well. Yeah. Nothing._

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><p>She grinned and leaned against him, snaking her arms around his neck. "Oh Doctor." He looked down at her, completely torn, as she leaned her head back slightly and parted her lips.<p>

"I can't, River. I really…can't."

"You've done it before. Work on your grammar." She teased. "Why _won't_ you?"

"Amy-your mother-would…will…actually, she has…slapped me. And you haven't seen Rory-your father-when he's in a bad mood and has a sword in his hands. I can't River. You're-"

"Right here and waiting. I meant, Doctor Dearest, you've kissed me before this, _for you_. I know you have. Because you knew what was going on, you big silly. Oh, my Doctor." She laughed and shook her head sadly before continuing in a teasing voice, "What mommy and daddy don't know won't hurt them."

"River, they're my best friends!" He protested again, attempting to pry her arms off of him. She seemed as dead set as her mother had too, that one time. There was no removing her from him. She had one mindset, and that would have to be accomplished before anything else.

It seemed she was thinking along the same lines, because she shot back, "And you've kissed _her_ once too!"

He looked shocked and tried to take a step back, but she clung to him. "_She_ kissed _me_! And who told you about that?"

She didn't answer him directly, but teased, "I'm cleverer than you."

"You are not!" He replied, too insulted to move.

"Sexier." She said as she ran a hand up his shirt.

"I'll give you that." He agreed, hesitantly, unsure where she was going, either with her speech or her hands.

"Very kissable." She added with a pout.

He paused, and attempted to move his eyes from her lips. "Well, yes, but-"

"And right here, all alone." She wrapped her arms back around his neck.

"Those…guards." He reminded her, "They're always watching you. Aren't they?"

"Scared of getting caught? That usually makes it much more fun." She laughed and kissed him on the cheek, because he turned his head away. She whispered into his ear again; "So much more fun."

"River-_Melody_-I can't."

"You can and you do. Sweetie, you will. And I think you really should. Right now." And before he could respond, she covered his mouth with hers.

Since he knew that the kiss would stop only when she wanted it too, and not a second before, he gave in and let her ravish his mouth.* When she pulled back and licked her lips, he took the opportunity to step away. Too late he registered the hurt in her eyes.

"She doesn't mind Doctor." River sighed, "Amy really doesn't." She paused, then added, "It's a bit odd, you knowing. Well. I guess not. I just keep waiting for that day when you don't know who I am. As their daughter. And after that, the day you don't know who I am…"

"Why?" He asked, "It'll come."

"You know that. And you probably know when too." River sighed and sat down on the floor. "Or maybe not. We don't just meet back to front, but sometimes we meet out of order."

"Tell me about it." He said as he knelt down in front of her. He pushed her hair out of her face, and looked at her, trying to read her emotions. She turned her head away, covering her face with her extremely curly(and also very soft) hair. "River?"

She laughed dryly, "Spoilers, sweetie."

"No." He shook his head, "Tell me, River. Not about what happened, but what's going on in that brilliant brain of yours. Because I'm scared. About what's going to happen in the future. My future and yours. And if I'm scared, you have got to be scared too." He kissed her forehead, "River, you can tell me anything."

"Not everything."

"But anything." He insisted. "I know you can't tell me what happened-will happen. But River, I need you to understand. If you're scared, or if you're worried, or if you just need me to be there, tell me. And I'll be there. I'll understand. Because I worry about you all the time. About us."

"You don't even know about us." She snapped.

He recoiled as if she'd slapped him. It took him a moment to think of how to respond to her; not the way he usually responded to her slaps, which was with a small smile and by saying, 'that's probably for something I haven't done yet'. This time, he replied, "No, but I want to. Didn't you?"

"That was different!" She replied sharply, then looked down, embarrassed. "Sorry. It wasn't. That wasn't fair. Or true. But it doesn't feel the same."

"Wrong end of the stick?"

"Wrong part of the big ball of wibbly wobbly timey-whimy." She grinned a little up at him. "Sorry. Couldn't resist."

"It's okay." And the weird thing was that it _was_. He briefly considered if that's how Rory felt about Amy, but decided that thinking about the parents of the woman he had just thoroughly snogged was not the best course of action. But 'okay' was the only word to describe it-it wasn't alright, because alright didn't mean alright. But it was okay because he wouldn't mind if River yelled and raged at him. It was okay if she broke down crying. It was okay to know that there was someone out there who needed him as much as he needed them. It was okay if her mood switched randomly, and if she went from upset to joking.

"Yeah." She said, "It is." He met her gaze and he was filled with the overwhelming need to hug her, and hold her, and lie to her, promising it would be okay. Even though he knew it wouldn't. The future, her future, was something he hated. Couldn't stand. But he had promised her that he wouldn't change anything.

Never ever.

So he hugged her, his River Song, his best friend's Melody. The best of the best. Wonderful. Amazing. Perfect.

"Sweetie, as much as I love my ribs being forced together by your adorable bear hug," River said breathlessly, "There's something I know you like so much more."

"Sorry." He said, releasing her.

"Oh, I'm not. I'm much closer to you this way." She grinned widely. Everything about her seemed to have…_implications_.

"Oh," He tried to frown but found himself increasingly distracted, "Shut up."

"Make me."

This time he most certainly and thoroughly did.

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><p>*He <em>may<em> have kissed her back. Not that he would tell Rory. Actually, he did not plan on telling Amy or Rory, because he'd been slapped by people's mothers altogether too many times. And getting punched once by Rory was enough.

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><p><em>Kinda hope that we won't have to change the name of the shipping, because DoctorMelody doesn't have the same ring as Doctor/River. Thank you for reading, and please drop a review, telling me what you think(either of this or of the episode)._


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